Absa says it is working on smartphone banking applications in the wake of the launch on Tuesday of its overhauled online banking platform.
It says the new platform, which took two years to develop, is a necessary step to launching dedicated banking apps for mobile devices.
Adrian Vermooten, Absa’s deputy managing executive for digital channels, says the new Absa Online portal, creates the foundation for Absa’s tablet and app “journey”.
The widget-based interface created for Absa Online makes it “easier to present front-end elements on other platforms”, he says.
The new platform is also optimised for tablets and their Web browsers. “From the scrolling to the reordering of widgets and menu items, the new portal is fairly finger-friendly,” says Vermooten, adding that the new website does away with the need to hover a mouse over menus.
“Absa Online is not an app replacement,” he says. “However, it poses the question: if you can get the whole suite on a tablet it leaves you challenged as to whether you should use an application that may offer less functionality or be no less convenient.”
Vermooten says he cannot say when standalone mobile apps will be available but that the bank is aware that consumers have been clamouring for them and they are in development.
To date, the only banks to launch mobile banking apps in SA are First National Bank and its sister company Rand Merchant Bank. — (c) 2012 NewsCentral Media
